Workplace Sexual Harassment Policies

Q: Please elaborate. I want fairness and equality. "Harrassment" is too easily used as a weapon to cow men, or more importantly, corporations into the proper stance. I don't like that, especially when, almost by definition, men can not be harrassed.

A: The definition of sexual harassment, in the law, and in many institutions is gender neutral. It's PURPOSE is to protect people in the work place. It can be USED for other goals, but these are misuses. Repeated UNWANTED sexual attention, or request for sexual favors in return for benefits is harassment. Since the law does not specity, this is true if a male is doing this to a male a male is doing this to a female a female is doing this to a male a female is doing this to a female. The phrase sexual harassment is usually used to refer to men harassing women, but BY DEFINITION, it covers all of the above. There have been law cases in all of the above. If the people implementing the policy only recognize it as harassment when men do it to women, then they are sexist, and are not following the law or the policy. If they refuse to act or take the concern seriously then they too are liable for perpetuating or allowing the harassment to continue, and can be sued too. Sexual attention that is WANTED is not harassment. If the person is purposely giving sexual attention, knowing that the other person will respond, and is giving this attention just to get this response in order to get the other person in trouble, I would judge the person to be 1) a tease 2) manipulative 3) entraping someone else 4) YES sexual harassment. I think that any abuse of sexuality in the workplace is sexual harassment. But you have to KNOW that the person is doing it (i.e. entrapping) intentionally, just to get someone in trouble. Otherwise, it just sounds like a "She's asking for it, she wanted it", which is the defense men give in many cases when women accuse men of misbehavior

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